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Commercial pilot · ACS CA.IX.C · Instructor lesson plan

Systems and Equipment Malfunctions

Student pack: Train: Systems and Equipment Malfunctions · Full lesson: Prepare guide

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1 · Objective

By the end of this lesson your student can explain systems and equipment malfunctions in their own words and apply it to a realistic flight, to the ACS standard for CA.IX.C.

Why it matters for safety: Systems failures rarely bring an airplane down by themselves; the pilot's reaction does. Startle, fixation and skipping the checklist turn a manageable failure into an undesired airplane state. A commercial pilot in a complex airplane has more systems and must know each one's failure and fix.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Systems and Equipment Malfunctions. Power loss, electrical, vacuum, pitot-static, displays, gear and flaps, trim, smoke, fire and doors: recognize, fly, checklist.

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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/cpl/systems-and-equipment-malfunctions · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/cpl/systems-and-equipment-malfunctions

3 · Teach sequence

Key points to land

  • Every malfunction starts the same way: fly the airplane, identify the problem, then run the checklist.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Power loss or a rough engine: best glide or the right airspeed first; carb heat on (carbureted); fuel selector to a tank with fuel or BOTH; mixture rich; fuel pump on if equipped; magnetos checked, then BOTH; then the checklist. With carb ice it may run rougher briefly as the ice melts; don't turn the heat off.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Alternator failure: shed electrical load, land before the battery runs out. Vacuum failure: cover the failed attitude and heading indicators, use the backups.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Flight Instruments)
  • Blocked static source: altimeter frozen, VSI at zero, airspeed low above the blockage altitude and high below it; use the alternate static. Blocked pitot: with the drain blocked too, the airspeed acts like an altimeter; with the drain open, it falls to zero.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Flight Instruments)
  • Landing gear won't extend: check the circuit breaker and position, then the manual (emergency) extension per the POH.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex and High-Performance Airplanes)
  • Electrical fire or smoke: master and alternator off, other electrical switches off except ignition, vents and cabin heat closed, extinguisher, land as soon as possible; ventilate only after the fire is out. Restore power one switch at a time only if the fire is out and you need it to keep flying, pausing after each.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • An open door in flight is usually a noise problem, not a flying one: fly the airplane and land to close it.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Power loss

  • Common causes: fuel mismanagement (an empty tank selected, exhaustion), carburetor or induction icing, a magneto or ignition fault, an incorrect mixture, a turbocharger or fuel injection fault, roughness or overheating. Low or fluctuating oil pressure with rising oil temperature: land at the nearest suitable airport, since a complete failure may be close.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • A partial power loss can be more dangerous than a complete one, because it tempts you to press on. Treat it as an emergency and head for the nearest suitable airport.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Electrical, vacuum, pitot-static and displays

  • Electrical: an ammeter discharge or low-voltage light means the alternator is off-line; reset per the POH, shed load, and land. Know which items are on which bus.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Systems (oxygen and pressurization))
  • Vacuum: a low suction reading means the attitude and heading indicators will fail slowly; cross-check, cover them, and use the electric backups or partial panel.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Flight Instruments)
  • Pitot inlet and drain both blocked: the airspeed acts like an altimeter (rising in a climb, falling in a descent, no response to speed changes level). Inlet blocked, drain open: it falls to zero. Altimeter and VSI stay normal. Pitot heat treats pitot icing only.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Flight Instruments)
  • Static blocked: altimeter frozen, VSI at zero, airspeed low above the blockage altitude and high below it. The fix is the alternate static source; in most unpressurized airplanes the cabin pressure is a little lower, so the altimeter reads a little high, the airspeed fast, and the VSI shows a brief climb before settling; use the POH correction table. With no alternate source, breaking the VSI glass is the last resort.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Flight Instruments)
  • Electronic display failure: the other display usually shows reversionary mode; use the standby instruments and know how to select reversion.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Flight Instruments)
  • Gear or flap failure: check breakers and indications, then the POH emergency procedures (manual gear extension; a no-flap landing needs more runway). Inoperative or runaway trim: hold pressure, disconnect or pull the breaker, land.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex and High-Performance Airplanes; Your airplane's POH/AFM)

Smoke, fire, other systems and doors

  • Electrical fire: master and alternator off, switches off except ignition, vents closed, extinguisher, then ventilate once it's out; restore only essential items, one at a time, only if needed to keep flying. Engine fire: fuel off and the POH procedure.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Other systems, first action, then the POH: oxygen or pressurization failure, oxygen on and descend (below 10,000 feet cabin altitude for an oxygen failure); deice or anti-ice failure in icing, exit the icing; autopilot malfunction or runaway, disconnect and hand-fly; inoperative trim, hold the pressure and land.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • An inadvertently opened door or window: fly the airplane, don't try to close it in flight unless the POH says, and land.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

The pilot's side

  • Use the checklist, by memory for the immediate items, then by reading it, so you don't miss a step under stress.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Startle is real: a sudden failure can freeze you for seconds. Pause, breathe, fly the airplane, then work the problem by the checklist.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
  • An undesired airplane state (unusual attitude, low speed) often follows a malfunction you fixated on: keep the scan going.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

4 · Ask your student

In order: recall, then understanding, then applying it. Move up only when the answer shows it.

  1. Recall · What are the first three things you do with any malfunction?

    A strong answer: Fly the airplane, identify the problem, run the checklist.

  2. Understand · Why is a partial power loss dangerous?

    A strong answer: It tempts you to continue; the engine may quit completely when you're far from a landing site.

  3. Apply · Climbing through clouds, the airspeed rises as you climb and drops as you descend. What's happening?

    A strong answer: A blocked pitot tube, probably ice with the drain blocked. Turn on pitot heat, fly by attitude and power, and cross-check with GPS groundspeed.

Scenarios to talk through

  • The low-voltage light comes on at night. What do you do?

    Sound decision: Check the alternator breaker and reset once per the POH; if it stays off, shed load, tell ATC, and land at the nearest suitable airport while the battery lasts.

  • The gear indicator shows unsafe after extension. What do you do?

    Sound decision: Fly away from the airport at a safe altitude, check the bulb and breaker, cycle once if the POH allows, then the manual extension, and have the tower look.

  • Smoke and the smell of hot plastic. What do you do?

    Sound decision: Electrical fire checklist: master off per the POH, extinguisher if needed, ventilate, land as soon as possible.

5 · Common student errors

  • Fixating on the failure.

    Why it matters: The airplane drifts into an undesired state.

    How to correct it: Keep flying; scan.

  • Skipping the checklist.

    Why it matters: Steps get missed under stress.

    How to correct it: Memory items, then read the checklist.

  • Pressing on with a partial failure.

    Why it matters: It may get worse far from an airport.

    How to correct it: Land at the nearest suitable airport.

6 · Completion standard

  • Your student answers each "Ask your student" question in their own words, up to the Apply level, without prompting.
  • They talk through the scenarios and reach a safe, legal decision, explaining why.
  • They complete the pack’s quick check and can say what they flagged.

Area trained? Close out with a practice oral focused on CA.IX.C: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=CPL&focus=CA.IX.C

7 · References

  • Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures
  • Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Systems; Flight Instruments
  • Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures
  • 14 CFR Part 91, 91.3, 91.205, 91.207
  • Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), Area IX
  • Your airplane's POH/AFM, Emergency Procedures
  • Airman Certification Standards, task CA.IX.C

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Systems and Equipment Malfunctions lesson (checked against current FAA sources 2026-11-13). A study and teaching aid, not FAA guidance; teach to your own judgment and the current ACS.